Why Harper Lee Struggled to Write Again After To Kill a Mockingbird
It was easy enough to forget about Harper Lee in those days. To Kill a Mockingbird had come out eighteen years before in 1960, and in all that time Lee had published almost nothing else. Three short essays for two glossy magazines, two tiny profiles that were favors for her friend Truman Capote, one satirical recipe for crackling bread in a novelty cookbook: in nearly two ...
9m May 08, 2019
9m
Mitch McConnell Says Russia Investigation Is ‘Case Closed.’ Senate Democrats Disagree
(WASHINGTON) — Senate Democrats say Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is "afraid" of the findings from special counsel Robert Mueller and failing to protect U.S. elections. Democrats told reporters on Tuesday that McConnell is sending proposals to crack down on interference to a "graveyard" that ignores Mueller's report and its findings that Russians meddled in the 2016 p...
1m May 08, 2019
1m
Charlize Theron Is a Sure Thing In Long Shot
Amazingly--or perhaps not--only now, almost 20 years into the 21st century, has the culture finally begun to acknowledge how women are held to standards we'd never apply to men, especially in the political arena. Her voice is too shrill! You wouldn't want to have a beer with her! Her hand gestures are annoying! By the time anyone gets around to asking a female candidate ab...
3m May 08, 2019
3m
Donald Trump Attacks Joe Biden More Than Other 2020 Rivals. Is He Afraid or Excited?
One thing is clear: Donald Trump is tweeting a lot about Joe Biden. Among advisers to the former Democratic vice president, there's a divide on whether that's a sign that Trump is especially worried about facing the Democratic frontrunner in 2020 or because he's eager to do so. “The Kremlinology of President Trump’s tweets is a thing right now,” a Biden adviser said....
5m May 07, 2019
5m
Myanmar Pardons Two Reuters Reporters Jailed for Exposing Massacre of Rohingya
Two Reuters journalists imprisoned in Myanmar for reporting on a military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims have been released after spending more than 500 days behind bars. Reporters Wa Lone, 33, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, walked free Tuesday morning after a presidential pardon, according to Reuters. A post on the news agency's Twitter account shows the Burmese journalists le...
4m May 07, 2019
4m
Here’s What 5 Teachers in Different States Are Fighting for a Year After Walkouts and Protests
It has been a year since teachers began walking out en masse to protest the state of public education in the U.S. But in many of the states that saw significant activism from teachers in the past year, educators say they're still fighting for the same changes. A statewide strike in West Virginia in early 2018 helped to inspire similar action in Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizo...
11m May 07, 2019
11m
How a Royal Baby Is Born, From Tudor Times to Meghan Markle’s Modernity
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, gave birth to her first child with Prince Harry on Monday — a baby boy who is seventh in line to the throne, the couple confirmed. The royal family says it plans to keep private the details about how the 7lbs-3oz baby was born, there has been a lot of speculation already, including rumors that she was hiring a doula and that she wou...
8m May 07, 2019
8m
Heart Problems Are Killing More Americans—Even Younger Ones. Here’s How to Reduce Your Risk
The heart health of younger Americans may be declining, even after years of medical progress. Heart disease is, and has for years been, the leading cause of death among American men and women. But for decades, medical and therapeutic advances were enough to drive down cardiovascular death rates. More recently, however, that progress has stalled and the trend has begun t...
4m May 07, 2019
4m
The U.N. Reports That 1 Million Species Could Go Extinct. It Shows How Hard It Will Be to Heal the Planet
There's an awful lot of awful in the just-released summary of a new U.N. report on biodiversity and ecosystem. There's the tenfold increase in plastic pollution since 1980, for example. There's the 400 million tons of heavy metals, toxic sludge and fertilizer runoff poured into the world's water each year too.
8m May 07, 2019
8m
The Best and Most Outrageous Looks of the 2019 Met Gala
With a theme that celebrated the outrageous and over-the top nature of camp as a sensibility, it should come as no surprise that the looks at the 2019 Met Gala were not for the faint of heart, with noted red carpet champs, Lady Gaga, Billy Porter and Celine Dion swanning and showing out at the annual event on Monday night in New York City.
10m May 07, 2019
10m
President Trump Keeps Quoting a Misleading $91 Billion Figure for Puerto Rico Aid. Here Are the Facts
President Donald Trump is sticking to his claim that Congress gave Puerto Rico $91 billion in aid money and that, therefore, the island should be "very happy" and stop asking for more. But his claim is misleading, asserting that the island has received far more cash from Washington than it has. https://twitter.
3m May 07, 2019
3m
Denver Residents Are Voting This Week on Whether to Legalize ‘Shrooms.’ Here’s What to Know
(DENVER) — Voters decide this week whether Denver will become the first U.S. city to decriminalize the use of psilocybin, the psychedelic substance in "magic mushrooms." A citizen-led initiative appearing on ballots Tuesday follows a path that led to marijuana's legalization in Denver and later in Colorado. Campaign organizers, though, say their only goal is to prevent ...
4m May 07, 2019
4m
Treasury Department Refuses to Comply With House Request for Trump's Taxes
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has made it official: The administration won't be turning President Donald Trump's tax returns over to the Democratic-controlled House. Mnuchin told Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., in a Monday letter that the panel's request "lacks a legitimate legislative purpose" as Supreme Court precedent require...
4m May 07, 2019
4m
‘I Wasn’t Expecting That to Ever Happen.’ Gwendoline Christie on How Brienne’s Relationship With Jaime Has Evolved on Game of Thrones
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Game of Thrones season 8. The fourth episode of Game of Thrones' eighth season saw Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) and Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) consummate their relationship after nearly six seasons of buildup. The highly anticipated moment came after Tyrion asked Brienne if she was a virgin during a drinkin...
5m May 07, 2019
5m
Airline Offers $2,500 to Passengers on Plane That Skidded Into Florida River
(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) — The operator of a chartered jet that ran into a river at a Florida military base is offering $2,500 to each passenger as a "goodwill gesture." Miami Air International made the offer to the 136 passengers on Monday in an open letter from the airline's CEO expressing regret for what happened. None of the passengers, nor the seven crew members, had s...
59s May 07, 2019
59s
Fighting Between Israel and Gaza Eases as Both Sides Hint at Cease-Fire
(JERUSALEM) — The Israeli military lifted protective restrictions on residents in southern Israel on Monday, while Gaza's ruling Hamas militant group reported a cease-fire deal had been reached to end the deadliest fighting between the two sides since a 2014 war. The escalation had killed 23 on the Gaza side, both militants and civilians, while on the Israeli side four ...
6m May 06, 2019
6m
Michael Cohen Begins Prison Sentence in Trump Hush-Money Case
(NEW YORK) — Michael Cohen, the former lawyer, media attack dog and all-around fixer for President Donald Trump, is scheduled to begin serving a three-year prison sentence Monday for crimes including campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments made on Trump's behalf. Cohen faces a 2 pm deadline to report to the Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville,...
4m May 06, 2019
4m
There’s One Major Problem With the Daenerys ‘Going Mad’ Plotline on Game of Thrones
Warning: This story contains spoilers for Game of Thrones. After last week's long-hyped Battle of Winterfell, fans had absolutely no idea what would happen in this week's episode of Game of Thrones. But after "The Last of the Starks," the future of the show has come into sharp focus: Daenerys is getting a villain edit.
6m May 06, 2019
6m
What Happens Next with the Mueller Report? The Answer May Lie in the Footnotes
If there’s one thing that lawyers know about reading documents, it’s to pay attention to the footnotes. In fact, oftentimes the most important information is buried there. America’s entire 14th Amendment jurisprudence, for instance, came out of a single footnote in a 1932 case now know as the “famous footnote.” The Mueller Report is no different.
10m May 06, 2019
10m
What Does Camp Mean Exactly? A Comprehensive Guide to the 2019 Met Gala Theme
When celebrities and fashion insiders descend upon the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the annual Met Gala on the first Monday in May this year, expect nothing less than a truly outrageous display of style, in keeping with the night's theme, Camp: Notes on Fashion.
10m May 06, 2019
10m
Europe May Use Trump’s Favorite Economic Weapon to Punish His Inaction on Climate Change
The threat in French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks last week was easy to miss. But if he follows through, its effects wouldn't be. More than 40 minutes into a meandering press conference, Macron reiterated his goal to put fighting climate change at the center of his government's policies as well as those of the European Union, calling for a "carbon tax on borders"...
6m May 06, 2019
6m
The President of South Africa on Finding That ‘Mandela Magic’ to Fix the Country
On April 15, TIME met with President Cyril Ramaphosa at his official residence, three weeks before the May 8 election. A longtime antiapartheid activist and high-ranking official of the ANC, the 66-year-old became Deputy President in 2014 and South Africa’s fifth President in February 2018 after Jacob Zuma resigned amid allegations of corruption and “state -capture”—when p...
12m May 06, 2019
12m
What the Murder of Christina Grimmie by a Fan Tells Us About YouTube Influencer Culture
Christina Grimmie was a fan of talented Disney starlets like Hannah Montana who parlayed careers in children’s television into pop music. Aged 15 in 2009, Grimmie uploaded one of her first tracks to YouTube — a cover of Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus (who played Montana in an eponymous TV series). It went viral. In 2011, she released her first EP, then moved to Los Angele...
8m May 06, 2019
8m
Black Comedy Dead to Me Is Your Twisty New Netflix Binge
"Wherever Judy goes, chaos tends to follow." So says James Marsden in the Netflix black comedy Dead to Me. Taken together, his utterance (an early contender for my own epitaph) and the fact that a long list of embargoed spoilers prevents me from even writing his character's name illustrate much of this addictive new show's appeal. The story packs big twists into each half-...
2m May 06, 2019
2m
An HBO Documentary Looks at the Good in the Foster Care System
Earcylene Beavers always wanted a lot of children, and she got her wish--just not the way she expected. Beavers, who's in her 60s, gave birth to a daughter, but has mothered more children than she can count through the foster system. She currently has four at home, including one of the three she adopted, Jake, who has cerebral palsy. While the rate of child maltreatment...
4m May 06, 2019
4m
49 Years After the Kent State Shootings, New Photos Are Revealed
Photography has shaped the American memory of the May 4, 1970, Kent State shootings. The image of a young woman screaming in horror as she crouches beside the body of a classmate has become the defining moment of the day when National Guardsmen shot and killed four students at Kent State University in Ohio. This year, on the 49th anniversary of the shooting, history'...
3m May 06, 2019
3m
Self Improvement Might Sound Healthy. But There’s a Downside to Wanting to Change
Ours is a culture that values change. Millions of Americans set resolutions each winter and buy self-help books year round. But a new study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science finds there's also value in aiming to stay the same. People who imagine staying fairly constant over the years may have more satisfying lives than those who think...
4m May 05, 2019
4m
The Surprising True History Behind Cinco de Mayo
Today, Cinco de Mayo's actual meaning can be easily lost in an abundance of margaritas—which might causing celebrants to completely overlook the real history of the holiday, which dates back to strife in 19th-century Mexico and the effect of the American Civil War on Latinos living in what's now the Southwest.
4m May 05, 2019
4m
The Quick Read About… Venezuela’s Faltering Revolution
What Happened This Week: Self-proclaimed “interim president” Juan Guaido gambled this week to try to force the ouster of de facto Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, calling on the Venezuelan people to join him in mass protests and military officials to defect to his side. People showed up to protest—both for and against Maduro—but the military defections Guaido hoped ...
5m May 05, 2019
5m
Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin Is Ushering in a New Act for the Metropolitan Opera
In the fly space above the stage at the Metropolitan Opera and around and behind it, scenery waits to be called into action. An intricate system of pulleys and lifts allows quick changes. Today's afternoon rehearsal for Dialogues des Carmélites, for example, will be followed only hours later by a performance of Rigoletto.
7m May 05, 2019
7m
Paid Family Leave Has Stalled in Congress for Years. Here’s Why That’s Changing
Carrie Carpenter started as a full-time waitress at a South Dakota Cracker Barrel in 2016. Seven months later, she had her fourth child. Before her daughter Celena was born that August, Carpenter was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The temporary insulin deficiency resulted in additional doctor's appointments and even higher medical bills, but it also meant that Car...
17m May 04, 2019
17m
The Mueller Report Made It Clear: America’s Response to Russia Has Been Far Too Weak
With Attorney General William Barr having testified about the Mueller Report before Congress, and further hearings about and investigations into the President’s actions assuredly ahead, the political drama stemming from the Mueller Report seems poised to overwhelm the attention given to the threat to our elections named in its very title: “Russian interference.
6m May 04, 2019
6m
Everything We Know About the Game of Thrones Prequel
Everyone's favorite television epic, Game of Thrones, is coming to an end in the spring of 2019. The fantasy series reigned supreme as the most popular show in the world for years and will likely set new records when it airs its final episode on May 19. But HBO, high on the success of the show, is already plotting several spinoffs. George R.R.
9m May 04, 2019
9m
How a Young Audrey Hepburn Helped the Dutch Resistance During World War II
Biographers and many Dutch people who lived through World War II have doubted the participation of a young Audrey Hepburn in work for the Resistance against the Nazis, saying, “She was just a girl. What could she possibly have done?” But as she was under the influence of such an enterprising and patriotic character as local Resistance leader Dr. Hendrik Visser ’t Hooft, th...
9m May 04, 2019
9m
Death Toll Rises to More Than 1,000 in Ebola Outbreak in Congo
(KINSHASA, Congo) — More than 1,000 people have died from an Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo that started in August, the country's health minister said Friday, as attacks on treatment centers and health workers undermine efforts to contain the disease. Health Minister Oly Ilunga told The Associated Press that four deaths in the outbreak's epicenter of Katwa helped push ...
2m May 04, 2019
2m
One of the Most Visible Meteor Showers of 2019 Is Happening This Weekend. Here Is How to Watch It
The peak of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower will coincide with a new moon this weekend, meaning the conditions will be ideal to view the annual flurry of burning space debris. Here is what you need to know to catch a glimpse. What is a meteor shower? A meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes through a cloud of space debris, often left behind by a comet. When the debri...
3m May 04, 2019
3m
The Scientology Cruise Ship Quarantined for Measles Has Set Sail for Its Next Port
The Scientology cruise ship that was quarantined in St. Lucia is now sailing for the Dutch Caribbean island Curaçao, and officials say that they're currently preparing for what's next. The vessel, Freewinds, is scheduled to arrive at its homeport in Curaçao on Saturday morning, Dr. Izzy Gerstenbluth, the national epidemiologist for the island of 160,000 people, tells TI...
3m May 04, 2019
3m
Horse Deaths Are Haunting the Racing World Ahead of the Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby, which will be run for the 145th time on May 4, is the oldest continuously held major sporting event in U.S. This year, however, talk of mint juleps, stylish hats and Triple Crown dreams may be overshadowed by a disturbing spate of horse deaths — and fresh calls to regulate the sport. Between late December and early April, nearly two-dozen Thoroughbre...
5m May 04, 2019
5m
Trump and Putin Discussed Mueller Report During Call, Sarah Sanders Confirms
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday about nuclear weapons, the possibility of getting China into a three-party arms control pact and the ongoing crisis in Venezuela where Moscow is propping up the current government over the U.S.-backed opposition. During their conversation, which lasted more than an hour, they als...
5m May 04, 2019
5m
Trump Keeps Saying He 'Never Met' People He Clearly Knows. Here's Why
When Donald Trump says he's "never met" someone, it can mean a lot of things. One thing it doesn't: that they literally have never met. On multiple occasions over the last few years, the president has plainly stated that he doesn't know someone, has never met them or doesn't even know who they are — even when he clearly does. One example came at a press conference in...
5m May 04, 2019
5m
What South Africa Can Teach Us As Worldwide Inequality Grows
Even for the Western Cape, a province known for its stunning vistas, the view from the settlement of Imizamo Yethu is extraordinary. A panorama of rolling hills, sand dunes and stone cliffs unfurls to the sea. To one side is a fishing village that has gentrified into quaint cafés and handicraft shops; on the other are stately mansions, horse paddocks and the expansive camp...
16m May 04, 2019
16m
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Is Engaged to Longtime Partner Clarke Gayford
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern got engaged to her longtime partner Clarke Gayford over Easter weekend, reports the Associated Press. A spokesman said the pair got engaged in the beach town of Mahia on the country's North Island but declined to give further comments, after reporters noticed Ardern wearing a ring on her middle finger on Friday, according to t...
1m May 03, 2019
1m
Thailand Is Crowning a New King for the First Time Since 1950
For weeks, officials in Thailand have been collecting water from sources across the country's 76 provinces between the auspicious hours of 11:52 am and 12:38 pm every Saturday.
6m May 03, 2019
6m
A Quick Guide to the Big Ideas in the Democratic Primary
The 2020 Democratic presidential primary is centered on some big ideas. While some of the 20 candidates for the nomination have stayed away from specifics so far, a handful have shared some dramatic and detailed proposals on bread-and-butter topics such as health care and immigration. Some of the candidates have been more aggressive in developing specific policies, w...
14m May 03, 2019
14m
How Trump Is Using the Mueller Report to Reshape Washington’s Balance of Power
As President Donald Trump walked out of the South Portico of the White House on April 26, a reporter asked him if he had ordered the firing of special counsel Robert Mueller nearly two years ago. In the question, Trump apparently heard an echo of President Richard Nixon's 1973 firing of Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox, which came to be known as the Saturday Nigh...
14m May 03, 2019
14m
Why Blocking Hate Sites Like 8chan May Only Make Them Stronger
Like the gunman who killed 50 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques in March, the man who killed one person in a Poway, Calif., synagogue on April 27 announced his intentions on 8chan, an anonymous online message board with a reputation for violent extremism. In the wake of these and other murders, calls to shutter such sites have only grown louder. Several Australian ...
5m May 03, 2019
5m
Trump Administration Finalizes 'Conscience Rule' for Clinicians Who Oppose Abortion
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration on Thursday moved to protect the rights of clinicians who object to participating in abortions with a regulation intended to safeguard those with religious and moral objections. President Donald Trump made the announcement during a speech in the White House Rose Garden to mark the National Day of Prayer.
2m May 03, 2019
2m
All the Insane Things That Have Happened in Game of Thrones‘ Penultimate Episodes
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Game of Thrones season 8. The fifth episode of Game of Thrones' eighth season is almost here, which means it's almost time to see Cersei, Euron and the Golden Company face off with pretty much every other person in Westeros. Blood will no doubt be shed and lives will almost certainly be lost during the hour — something that's bec...
6m May 03, 2019
6m
Sri Lanka Bans Face Coverings as It Scrambles to Respond to Easter Attacks
Eight days after the April 21 bombings in Sri Lanka left at least 253 dead, the government announced that all face coverings would be banned in public, saying the move would help the search for those involved. The bombings, carried out by alleged Islamist militants who targeted churches and high-end hotels, were the most fatal violence the country has suffered since its ci...
3m May 03, 2019
3m
A Scientology Cruise Ship Has Been Quarantined for Measles. Here’s What to Know
The Church of Scientology's cruise ship Freewinds with 300 passengers aboard has been quarantined in port by the Caribbean nation of St. Lucia for measles after a female crew member was diagnosed with the highly contagious, preventable disease. MarineTraffic.com lists the vessel in port at St. Lucia as the Freewinds. A ship with that name is owned by a Panamanian compan...
5m May 03, 2019
5m